THE NATIONAL CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
Authority to order increase or decrease of trade-route operations,
and authority to determine all questions as to sale of vessels oper-
ating such a route, should be given to a Federal Shipping Council
serving without compensation.
In each region of the country in which there is a maritime
interest there should be a representative advisory shipping council
serving without compensation.
The President of the Fleet Corporation should have the duty
of carrying into execution the decisions of the Federal Shipping
Council as to increase or decrease of trade-route operations, and sale
of any vessels so operated.
Where necessity for maintaining trade-routes exists and pending
transfer to private ownership, entire responsibility for operation of
government-owned merchant vessels should be given to the President
of the Fleet Corporation.
Government aid to shipping should be limited to vessels oper-
ated upon trade-routes, and to the higher types of ocean-service
which can be obtained through mail subventions, and should be
sufficient to permit operation upon all essential trade-routes, and to
assure the higher type of ocean-service.
Government aid should be restricted to American-built vessels.
(Referendum No. 48, submitted March 12, 1926.)
UPBUILDING OF THE MERCHANT MARINE
The Government should not undertake the purchase, construc-
tion, or charter of vessels for mercantile purposes, together with the
operation of such vessels.
Ownership of merchant vessels by the government but with
operation by private parties under leases is opposed.
There should be subsidies from the Government sufficient to
offset the difference in cost between operation of vessels under the
American flag and operation in the same deep-sea trades under
foreign flags.
There should be subventions from the government to establish
regular mail and freight lines under the American flag to countries
in which the commercial interests of the United States are important,
and to American Dependencies.
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